Military personnel in the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps in combat vehicles will be shielded with bulletproof windshields and doors made by the Milford, N.H. division of Saint-Gobain, a Paris-based company.

Saint-Gobain Crystals was awarded a three-year, $20 million contract to supply the two branches of the military with sapphire engineered armor and tooling used to make bulletproof windshields and door windows for the military’s M142 Artillery Rocket Launcher and other military assets.

Sapphire, a mineral second in hardness only to diamond, is ideal in desert conditions and protects military equipment from the gases emitted after a rocket launch, according to the company. The plant will supply large sheets of sapphire laminated with glass and polycarbonate.

“This innovation will also offer additional protection to soldiers in the field and is the first large contract of its kind for high-end armor,” said Natesh Krishnan, Saint-Gobain director of global sales and marketing. “Our sapphire armor provides superior ballistic performance combined with weight reduction, enhanced transmission capabilities for night vision and sand abrasion resistance.

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